oanna pulled Celia into her arms, her voice gentle and soothing. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. I’m right here. Whatever’s troubling you, just tell me. We’ll figure it out together.”
Tears streaming down her face, Celia glanced over at Celestine, then deliberately túrned back to Joanna. “Miss Sinclair, can I call you Mom? I don’t have a mom anymore!”
“Enough of that nonsense! What are you saying?” Chester’s voice cut through the room, stern and unyielding.
The disapproval in his expression made Celia shrink back, but almost immediately her sobs grew louder, echoing off the walls.
“I want Miss Sinclair to be my mom!” Celia wailed. “My mom is terrible! She always takes everyone else’s side and helps them bully her own daughter! She isn’t even my real mom! She hits me! She’s awful! Why can’t I call Miss Sinclair my mom instead?”
Her outburst brought the entire room to a standstill.
Chester’s frown deepened as he turned to Celestine, accusation heavy in his voice. “Did you hit her?”
Celestine had never believed in harsh discipline. She’d always been the kind of mother who tried to reason things out, patient and nurturing, even when the
children rebelled. At least, she’d never so much as raised her hand to
them–certainly not when Chester was around. Even a while back, when both kids turned against her, she never spoke a harsh word,
So what had changed?
“Yes, I hit her,” Celestine answered, her eyes dull as she looked at the three in front of her–who looked far more like a family than she ever felt.
ple
Again and again, her heart had been battered and bruised by her children, and now, the pain wasn’t even sharp anymore. It was just numb.
Cynthia watched her with worry, quietly slipping up beside her and giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
Celestine blinked, coming back to herself, and managed a small smile for Cynthia reassuring her not to fret.
Chapter 252
Meanwhile, Celia was now crying so hard she could barely catch her breath.
Chester’s expression was grim. “Celia is still your daughter, no matter what. Even if you’re upset, you can’t lose sight of right and wrong.”
Celestine let out a cold, mirthless laugh and stepped forward, pulling Cynthia with her. She pointed at the tear in Cynthia’s jeans and the dirt smeared across the fabric. “This is what your daughter did. At least when I was around, I never taught her to lash out and hurt people. Mr. Fordham, you really are quite the father, aren’t you?”
The words “quite the father” dripped with sarcasm.
Chester was rarely home, always caught up with work or tangled up with Joanna. Celestine had been the one to raise the children–teaching them to speak, to walk, to go to school–she’d been there for every step. Chester only remembered them once in a while, when he’d bring home gifts. And yet, the kids always seemed to gravitate toward him.
All her effort, it seemed, was nothing but a cruel joke.
Chester flinched at her words, the sting unmistakable, his mood sinking even lower. “What actually happened?” he demanded, eyes sharp, fixing Celia with a look that brooked no nonsense.
Celia, curled up against Joanna, suddenly choked back her sobs, but she didn’t dare say another word.
Joanna tried to ease the tension, her/voice calm. “Chester, she’s just a child. Please, be gentle.”
Chester felt utterly helpless, but this wasn’t the place for a confrontation, and he didn’t want to make things worse.
“Ms. Sinclair, Mr. Fordham, let me explain what happened,” the teacher interjected, having witnessed the entire scene and sensing the tangled family drama at She kept her summary short/and to the point. “The two girls had a bit of an incident during gym class. Cynthia’s volleyball accidentally landed on Celia’s head.” “That’s not true! She did it on purpose!” Celia shot back, her voice loud and shrill.
Both Chester and Celestine fixed her with a warning glare.
“It’s polite to let the teacher finish,” Chester said sharply.
Chapter 252
“Listen to what she has to say,” Celestine added.
Celia glared at Cynthia, her eyes full of tears.
The teacher cleared her throat and continued, “Although Cynthia apologized, Celia misunderstood and, in the heat of the moment, pushed Cynthia. Cynthia fell and scraped her knee, and it could have been much worse–she nearly tumbled down the stairs.”
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